Always aware of the import of even their slightest movement, Manic Street Preachers place a lot of weight on their album titles and 2014's Futurology is designed as a conscious counterpoint to 2013's Rewind the Film. That record wound up closing an era where the Manics looked back toward their own history as a way of moving forward, but Futurology definitively opens a new chapter for the Welsh trio, one where they're pushing into uncharted territory. Never mind that, by most standards this charge toward the future is also predicated on the past, with the group finding fuel within the robotic rhythms of Krautrock and the arty fallout of punk; within the context of the Manics, this is a bracing, necessary shift in direction. All the death disco, free-range electronics, Low homages, and Teutonic grooves, suit the situational politics of the Manics, perhaps even better than the AOR-inspired anthems that have been their stock in trade, but the words – crafted, as ever, by Nicky Wire, who remains obsessed with self-recriminations, injustice and rallying cries – aren't the focus here. Unique among Manics albums, Futurology is primarily about the music, with the surging synthesizers and jagged arrangements providing not an emotional blood-letting or call to arms, but rather an internal journey.

AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. A hard rock/blues rock band,[2] they have also been considered a heavy metal band, although they have always dubbed their music simply "rock and roll"…

Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, extended compositions, and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history…

~ This unique Limited-edition LP set features six outstanding Decca/Vienna Philarmonic recordings, newly presented in luxury 180gm vinyl pressing, celeborating one of the great relationship of recorded classical music in the 20th century. ~

For Friedman's fifth recording, he is definitely exploring the progressive edges of modern mainstream post-bop. He's more sublimated as a voice, with guitarist Attila Zoller taking a prominent role as frontman, while the performances of bassist Richard Davis and drummer Joe Chambers provide perfect foils for Friedman's swashbuckling creative urges. While the pianist utilizes elements stemming from bop and the avant garde, the melodic and listenable ingredients are juxtaposed with challenging ideas, and the leader acts as a true ringleader in the midst of his three brilliant compadres. "Wakin' Up" starts the six tracks in a quirky, mid-swing waltz; Zoller's signature clipped, staccato leads and the innovative Davis' ruminating bass chords identify a sound prevalent throughout.

Formed under the midnight sun in Lofoten in 2006, the Engegård Quartet rapidly became one of the most sought after ensembles in Norway, performing at the Bergen Festival and the Oslo Chamber Music Festival in their very first season. This extraordinary quartet, named after the first violinist Arvid Engegård, led the audience into the unique world of Norwegian classical and folk music, with intimacy and mystique playing an ever recurring role.

When Daft Punk went to make Random Access Memories, the seeking of Nathan East was one of the smartest moves they made. East provided basslines on nine of the album's songs, including "Get Lucky," a number two Hot 100 hit. The album won the Grammy for Album of the Year and shined a little mainstream light on him as well as several other unsung session musicians who have been active for decades with little recognition.

The centenary of the outbreak of the first world war has already been marked by two outstanding albums – Robb Johnson's Gentle Men and the Show of Hands collaboration with Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton – and now comes a double album from Barry Coope, Jim Boyes and Lester Simpson, a trio of exhilarating a cappella singers who have done more than most to express the horrors of the conflict in their songs, and have been involved in a series of war-related projects, including concerts on former battlefields. The 50 tracks here include new and old recordings of wartime songs and their own compositions, with occasional piano work from Belinda O'Hooley and vocals from June Tabor on the atmospheric Shule Agra. But they are equally powerful on their own, with magnificent, stirring harmony work on the cheerfully bitter Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire or Jim Boyes' bleak lament, Hill 60.